The Magnolia Park Bandstand

This Bandstand/Gazebo has a very active history with Disneyland. Originally slated to be smack-dab in the middle of Town Square, Walt and his team realized shortly before opening that it would block the view of the Castle, thus ruining the perfect cinematic “long-shot” one would get looking down Main Street. So, it was quickly decided to move it to the left of the Castle, where it would be home to Vesey Walker & The Disneyland Band. Shot #2 is from July 1955...even a good possibility that it is opening day.





Move #3 occurred when another decision ousted the Bandstand yet again; The Carnation Gardens Plaza was built to serve as a more permanent facility for musical performances, and it was decided to move the Bandstand over to Adventureland (?!?) in an area known as Magnolia Park. At the time, Magnolia Park was located between the Jungle Cruise and the Chicken Plantation. Here is a photo from March 1956 showing the recently moved Bandstand:



And another view, showing Vesey & Company playing to a not-so-packed crowd:



As if this poor little structure hadn’t already suffered enough indignities, it was also home to a Dog Show! This March 1957 shot shows Sergeant Preston of the Yukon:



With its design rooted in Main Street (note the ornate Gingerbread trim), it really was out of place in this location. The final death knell came when the Jungle Cruise needed to expand in 1962. Magnolia Park was removed, and the bandstand was donated to the City of Anaheim. We’re not done yet folks! Move #5 was next, as apparently Anaheim didn’t really have much of a use for it either (poor little Bandstand...are you crying for it yet?). Recently, I was contacted by the current owner (thus the reason for this post which uses photos that I have shown previously) who was gracious enough to share the following images with me. The City of Anaheim contacted Rogers Gardens in Corona del Mar, gave them a full day (!) to pick up the bandstand, and voila, it finally seemed to have a permanent home. This view is from 1975; it appears that although much of the upper trim has been removed, that the roofing might still be original.



Definitely by 1977, even the roofing had been replaced:



And here are some present day shots; most Disneyland fans would not even notice that this structure is part of Disneyland history unless told. It has been significantly altered from its original design, yet the interior trim still remains, and is easily compared to some of the other historic photos posted here. It still carries the design hallmarks of many Main Street buildings, as well as the Victorian-looking Frontierland Railroad Depot.





Many thanks to Rogers Gardens for their generosity in sharing these images with me.

See more Bandstand photos at my main website.